


Quaran-tea at Greenhouse Three

by koturneto



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coronavirus AU, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Gen, Harry Potter Fanfiction Club Server's Winter Challenge II, Tea, Teaching, covid au, pandemic au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-19 02:07:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29743347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koturneto/pseuds/koturneto
Summary: Pomona and Rubeus have tea every Wednesday. Even quarantine can't stop their friendship.
Relationships: Pomona Sprout & Rubeus Hagrid
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6





	Quaran-tea at Greenhouse Three

The sun broke through the spring clouds, warming Pomona’s face as she turned towards it. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the Solbloom by the greenhouse door did the same. “Why, hello there,” she whispered. “Good afternoon to you, old friend.”

She stepped inside, closed the door, and switched on the wireless she kept right there. “ _-a love as pure as pewter, a kiss as warm as brass_ -” Mabelle Buttons warbled out of the speaker. Pomona grinned and tapped her toes on her way to retrieve the teapot from the back shed. Returning, the music caught her up and she grabbed a trowel to use as a microphone. She leaned over like a rocker in concert to duet with a Jiving Juniper when Buttons sang, “ _come on baby, lover boy, tip my scales tonight_.”

With a little skip, she grasped the end of a Splipplevy vine hanging across the aisle to give herself a twirl. While the water boiled atop her fire charm, she checked her moisture-detecting enchantments, added some flobberworm meal to the Snargaluff, and shooed the Solblooms away from the dittany’s light.

She was so entranced watching her Venus Gnometrap that she jumped a foot off the ground when she heard a  _ rap rap rap  _ behind her. She turned to see Rubeus, holding his blue-flowered teapot and a wooden stool.

“Ready?” His voice was somewhat muffled, like they were in an aquarium, but she could see perfectly how his great smile split his face.

“Yes! Let me just collect some tinderroot and ginger to add to my tea. I’d offer you some, but, you know-” She bustled around collecting what she needed, then pulled up a wooden chair from the corner and took a seat across the glass from Rubeus. Fang, trailing up behind, barked and tried to lick her, leaving a trail of slobber behind. They both laughed.

“How has your week been?” she said. “Last I heard you were working on your quarantine baking.”

“Yes!” Rubeus said brightly. “I’ve made a bunch of biscuits. Wan’ me ter drop some at the door?” The saucers he pulled out of his coat pockets looked more like coal than chocolate.

“Er, thank you kindly, but for safety’s sake, I’ll keep my own!” She dipped a shortbread in her tea and nibbled around the edges. “Anything else you’ve been up to?”

“Lots o’ long walks around the grounds for my work, through the Forest with Fang.” He patted the dog on his head. “Headed down ter Hogsmeade once or twice, though nothin’ much was open. I’m thinkin’ about maybe buyin’ myself a graphor kitten ter raise with all this time I’ve got on my hands.”

“That sounds... exciting. I’ve been eyeing a new Niffler’s Fancy myself. Its leaves are beautiful and its fruits, though rare, make an absolutely heavenly wine.”

“Sounds delicious,” Rubeus said.

Pomona sipped her tea and sighed happily. The sun warmed her little seat until she peeled off her green sweater, the chill outside smothered away by the rays the glass captured within. Cecelia Nettles belted rhymes in the background and she nodded along with the edge of her attention.

“How are the puffapods growing?” she said.

“Oh, very nice. They love the shade at the edge of the forest. I’ll bring yeh some next time. Lookin’ healthy as a hippogriff.”

“Wonderful!”

“An’ how about yer…?” He waved his hand at all the greenery on her side of the glass.

“Most are doing well, happily. I’ve got a rhythm down for their basic needs.”

“Great!”

“That said, I’m a little worried about caring for all of this alone. Usually, my N.E.W.T. students manage at least one greenhouse themselves, and the mandrakes are just so aggressive right now without the constant socialization they get from the second- and third-years.”

“The little ones do like ter touch everythin’ they see. Not so great when it’s a blast-ended skrewt, but they do learn then.” Rubeus chortled at the memory.

“Greenhouse Seven is already a jungle. I checked yesterday and couldn’t even bushwack through the front door.”

Rubeus whistled in appreciation. “Most of my creatures are happy ter be left alone, luckily. Only the crups really care, an’ I’ve taken them back ter their breeder - everyone wants a pandemic cruppy.”

“Oh, Rubeus! Speaking of which, I meant to tell you about Gussie Orpington, the second-year? I’ve been checking in on all the Hufflepuffs, and she had an absolutely enormous bubblewinder wrapped around her neck on our firecall.” His face lit up, just as she had expected. “Pink bows around its neck and whistling non-stop unless she kept petting its head. You would have loved it.”

“Ahh, incredible - I’ve only seen a couple of em. I’ll have ter ask her about it.”

“She’s such a quiet dear, but I bet she’d chatter away about it.”

“Did yeh see how many tail spines it had? If it was more than three, that means- well, no, probably not, not if she had it around her neck. But I’ll recruit her for my class!” He paused for a moment, lost in thought. “Well, how are the other students?”

“Here and there,” Pomona said. “I talked with Rabnott most recently, this morning. He’s catching up on sleep but otherwise feeling a bit lonely. And Diggory - Cedric - is doing all right. He’s frustrated about the tournament being canceled, but he knows things could be worse. And there’s plenty of worse. Megan Jones, poor girl, lost her grandmother. It was all I could do to just be there.”

“I’m so sorry.”

They sat in silence, her thoughts filled with how that girl had sobbed and hid her puffy face. Finally, she asked, “How about you?”

“Heard a couple of times from Hermione Granger, once from Harry, a few others here and there.”

“Oh, that’s good; how are they?”

“The same as yeh said, really. Sad an’ scared.” He gave a big sniff and pawed at his eyes with the sleeve of his coat. “I imagine Harry with those awful Muggles, an’ I just can’t stand it.”

“They’re struggling a lot. I’m needing to take a step back and think about what’s really most important. Maybe I don’t cover bubotuber pus this year, even though we do every year. Focus the fourth-years on fertilizers and their different uses - the bigger idea.”

“Huh. I hadn’t really thought of that. I was just thinkin’, well: I’ve got Rougarou here, special-ordered, better use ‘em.”

“Just think, though, you could save the more exciting ones for when we get back!”

He hit himself on the forehead with his palm. “Dunno why I didn’t think of that.”

“Actually, do you think they’ve got any interesting creatures at home that they could study? Gnomes, maybe, or Doxies? I’ve been thinking about creative ideas like that, maybe sending them outside for some backyard herbology.”

His mouth dropped into an O and he waved his teacup in the air, sloshing over the edges. “That’s brilliant!”

“Trouble is, I realized it might not even be safe in some places to go outside. So I think I might send them seeds to grow at home if this goes on for much longer.”

“I could send them some Fire Dwellin' Salamanders!”

She hid a grimace, thinking of the parents who would not appreciate a constant flame in their home. “Or maybe flobberworms? For those who didn’t get them last year?”

“Naw, they might not all have lettuce to feed them.”

“I could send them some lettuce seeds, if you like. That could be quite fun. The ambitious could start up a proper flobberworm farm.”

“I’ll think about it. To workin’ together!” They grinned and clinked their cups together across the glass. She watched Fang lift his head to eye her for a long minute and then nestle back into his paws.

“I miss them a lot,” she said quietly.

“Flobberworms?”

“The students. It’s so silly, isn’t it?” She fiddled with her teacup. “You and I have tea together, I see Minerva and Albus all the time, and I write plenty of letters. I’ve talked in some way with most of my House at this point. I love seeing and hearing from them - I’m glad they’re alive. It’s just different seeing their writing or poking my head into their sitting room.

“I do get to see their pets, which is lovely! And Haiden played for me on the piano. But that doesn’t replace hearing them chatter to one another before class starts or seeing their faces crack up when they eat an alihotsy leaf for the first time.” She sighed.

“I know whatcha mean,” Rubeus said. “I always look forwar’ to Harry and the rest tramping down to my cottage to see me. And in the lessons, even the ones that don't care so much are kinda fun to try to win over.”

“Rubeus, yes. You get it. I’ve plenty of friends, but in a special way, Hogwarts is my family.”

“Mine too,” he said. “Well, no other family at all, an’ friends mainly count thestrals an’ this great slobbering fool.” He grinned and split a biscuit for Fang.

“Many of my dearest friends have leaves,” she said, smiling and gently stroking a petal from the plant next to her. Suddenly she leaped from her stool. “Mercy, look at the time! I’m meant to meet Minerva in a quarter-hour, and my dandelions still need pruning.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“No trouble at all, Rubeus, it’s been lovely. I might not be able to reach out and hug you, but this still makes me feel a little less alone.”

“Same for me. Pay me a visit any time, you hear? I can even help out in the greenhouses if yeh ever need a han'.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. Same day next week?”

“See you then!”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot in the same pandemic universe as _An Owl Away_. Look out for the first chapter of that work on March 13th, 2021!
> 
> Thank you to everyone in the HP Fanfic Writers' Guild who helped me with the idea and follow-through. A special shout-out to Rayla (snowpoppies) for beta-ing and helping me figure out so many plants to include!


End file.
